I am nearly 3 years into taking Tamoxifen after beating breast cancer. I have found it VERY difficult to lose weight while taking it and have 'threatened' my oncologist to go off of it. It is very discouraging to have to work so hard just to maintain. Is it the lower estrogen levels that make me hungrier and/or cause my body to hang onto weight? Any insight would be most appreciated.

Answer

In a randomized, controlled study of 13,000 women (The Breast Cancer Prevention Trial), women who took tamoxifen did not have any more weight gain than those who did not take the drug. Tamoxifen is probably not behind your failure to lose weight. All women have a downward shift of about 100 calories from the drop in estrogen that comes with aging. And when combined with suboptimal physical activity and over eating, it's easy to end up with more calories than we burn and that's why it's hard to lose weight. Focus on taking care of yourself instead on your weight, and be grateful for small changes in your physical condition and health.

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